Do Police helicopters downlink video/sound at all times to their control room or do they only do that when on a tasking? Just thinking there could possibly be a lot of useful information to the AAIB there.
My dad was a Deputy Chief Fire Officer; I remember him reviewing footage of a school fire from Cheshire's Islander (G-PASV) and remarking how it would have made it possible to save the building - The police got an amazing amount of funding compared with the Fire Service; I can't imagine them not downlinking information almost 20 years later.
If I recall correctly, the MD900 and 902 had a port on the engine/transmission displays form which it was possible to recover an amazing amount of information?! Not an FDR per-se but a very very useful tool. It's been so long I can't remember what it's called but I miss that aircraft daily!!